Soldier On
by Tato Potato
Summary: On his way to work Ethan finds a young girl who has been beaten within an inch of her life. He takes her to the ED to get help. Despite her injuries and the fact that she is only five years old she still soldiers on. Rated T for domestic Violence
1. Chapter 1

A scream came from inside the building. He pushed her against the wall, his hand over her mouth and throat. His fist made contact with her chest, stomach and face. Her head ached as she tried to fight him off. His gripped never faltered it just tightened with ever movement she made. He pulled a syringe full of clear liquid from his pocket. He brought it closer to her and she screamed as loud as she could, trying to stop him from injecting her. It was no use. She felt a sharp scratch in her neck as the needle punctured the skin. She tried to fight him off but he was a lot stronger than him. This was followed by a loud bang and a crash. She flopped onto the ground in a heap. Her head bounced off of the table and began to bleed. Her eye lids began to feel heavy. She couldn't breathe easily and was gasping at the effort it took. She couldn't see properly as the drug took control of her body. Unconsciousness engulfed her.

Ethan Hardy was walking on his way to work when he heard a scream coming from a house across the street. He heard a loud noise and ran across the road to investigate. He knelt by the letter box, pushing it open. He could see a small figure lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood. The girl was covered in bruises and was clearly unconscious. Her blonde hair was covered in blood. He called out to her but she didn't respond. He saw a figure in dark clothing running away from the girl on the floor. He was more worried about the little girl laid on the floor in front of him. She couldn't have been more than five years old. It made him feel sick to think someone would do something like this to such a young child.

He jumped up and tried to open the door. It was bolted and locked. He barged it with his shoulder and broke the door down. It took a couple of attempts but the door finally gave way. He pushed through it and stumbled to the side of the girl. He could smell gas in the house and realised that the figure whom he saw running away had switched it on. He lifted the girl over his shoulder and carried her outside. The house exploded as he crossed the street and lay the child on the pavement. He used his body to shield her from the blast.

Several fragments of the collapsed building flew off and hit the back of his head. He winced at the pain, trying to ignore it as he crouched over the little girl. She was still unconscious despite everything. He tried to help her but there wasn't much he could do. He scooped her up off of the ground and carried her towards the hospital. She wasn't heavy and appeared very skinny for her age and size. He effortlessly walked the next couple of miles to the ED.


	2. Chapter 2

When he arrived it seemed relatively quiet. His brother had been working the previous shift and was stood outside of the entrance. He was smoking a cigarette whilst talking to Max about last night's football match. Ethan strolled over, the little girl in his grasp.

'Ethan, what the hell is going on? Where have you been?' Cal asked clocking the girl in his brother's arms.

'Sorry, there was an explosion. I saw this little girl, I think she has been drugged' he explained.

Cal looked closely. The girls face was black and blue. Every inch of her skin, littered with large bruises in an array of colours. He drew a sharp intake of breath. People who did this kind of thing, especially to young children made him sick.

Cal led them into the ED. He pulled over a trolley. Ethan lay her onto it carefully trying to avoid hurting her. As he bent over the trolley, Cal saw the cuts on the back of his head, tiny bits of glass and wood were still stuck in them.

'You need to get that looked at' he stated. Ethan shook his head

'Not now, I want to stay with her until I know she is okay, please' he pleaded. Cal gave in, there was no point in arguing with his brother. He wheeled the bed into resus where he began hooking her up to different machines. None of the senior consultants were on shift yet so he had to take the lead on this case. Ethan helped him set up the necessary equipment. As they assessed her condition she began to awaken. She was scared and in unfamiliar surroundings. Ethan could empathise. He tried to keep her calm.

'Hello Sweetie, My name is Ethan and I'm here to help you. This is Dr Knight, but I'm sure you can call him Cal, he's my brother and also a doctor like me' he introduced them. He took her hand in his.

She began to tremble in fear.

'Sweetie, just look at me and ignore what he is doing, just focus on me. I'm here to help, okay? Just stay calm. What's your name?' He asked.

'L-L-Lucy' she stammered.

'Hello Lucy. Now can you tell me where it hurts?' He prompted

'My head, I think I hit it' she replied

'Okay, let me have a quick look' He spoke calmly. She recoiled. 'I promise I won't hurt you, I just need to make sure that it is okay' he whispered. She relaxed a bit, still holding his hand tightly.

'Please be gentle' she whispered as he began brushing the hair out of her face near the wound.

'I promise, just keep as still as you can, and keep looking at me' he instructed


	3. Chapter 3

She looked at him intently as he frowned in concentration. He caught sight of her gaze and poked his tongue out at her. She smiled. He was incredibly gentle as he observed the wound. It was very deep, filled with grit from the explosion and would definitely require some stitches. He gentle wiped the dried blood from her face with some gauze. She winced slightly as he touched the wound.

'Sorry Darling. That was an accident, I promise I won't do it again' he murmured. He continued cleaning her face as gently as he could. Cal was examining her other injuries as well. Her ribs were bruised, her skin black and blue from where she had been attacked, and she also had several knife wounds to her abdomen which Cal couldn't work out when they had happened.

When Lucy realised that Cal was looking at her other injuries she recoiled, trying to cover them with her blanket and t-shirt.

'Hey sweetie, it's okay, I just need to have a look' Cal murmured. Lucy shook her head, her grip on the blankets tightened.

'Lucy, Dr Knight needs to see your tummy so he can give you the best medicine' Ethan whispered. Lucy continued to shake her head.

Cal put a hand on her arm. He looked at her softly. His eyes focused on hers. She looked at this kindness and tears began to drip down her cheeks. He wiped them away with a piece of tissue. 'I only want to help you, you know that right?' he murmured. She nodded.

'I'm sorry, I'm just scared' she replied. In truth no one had ever shown her any form of kindness like what Ethan and Cal had shown her and it was making her upset. She didn't feel like she deserved such kindness and help.

Cal lifted the blankets carefully. He took one look at the scars, bruises and wounds. They would definitely need an x-ray to be sure that there were no broken bones.

Ethan continued cleaning her head and was about to sort out stitching it for her. Cal sat beside her, she was only five years old but seemed almost as mature as a teenager. He lifted her onto his lap and gave her a cuddle. She lapped up this show of affection, burying her head into his chest. He smiled as she gripped his body tightly, like she belonged there.

'Lucy, I need to fix your head now I will have to put some stitches in it, is that okay?' He asked her.

Ethan was not permitted to be at the sharp end of a procedure due to the head injury he had sustained so it was down to Cal to deal with it. Ethan took Lucy onto his lap, as he sat down he began to feel a bit dizzy. He didn't want to say anything but Cal had already noticed.

'You alright, Nibbles?' he asked. Ethan nodded gently, so as not to aggravate his already pounding head.

Cal injected Lucy's head with a local anaesthetic. As the needle punctured her soft skin, she let out a loud whimper. Ethan pulled her closer to him, trying to comfort her and keep her calm. 'Just look at me, ignore what he is doing and focus on me' he instructed so she couldn't see the sharp needle headed for her cut. She gazed at him intently as Cal meticulously stitched her head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Just thought I should let you know, I might be going off of the radar so to speak for the next couple of days as I am going to be travelling again, don't panic because I will still update my stories when I can but it might not happen regularly. Thanks for being understanding and please review, because hopefully I will still be able to read them and would love to know what you think! :)**

As soon as he tied off the last stitch Ethan placed her back on the bed. He began to feel rather sick so he rushed to grab a cardboard bowl. He heaved and retched until he could do so no more. His head was pounding more and more, He could feel a steady trickle of blood dripping down the back of his head and soaking his shirt.

After throwing up he suddenly felt really dizzy, his eye lids grew heavy. His legs buckled as the floor came closer and pulled him down. His head hit the floor with a massive cracking sound, as unconsciousness swallowed him.

Cal ran over to his brother, his head was bleeding profusely. A large pool of it gathered on the floor beside him. Cal rolled his brother onto his back, calling for help as he did so. Robyn and Lofty had just returned from their break when they were called over. They slid a board underneath the young doctor and lifted him onto a nearby trolley.

Cal leant over his limp body, pulling a pen torch from his pocket. He shone it in Ethan's eyes. The pupils didn't dilate properly. Cal hooked up an IV giving him as many fluids as possible whilst he treated his head wound. There were bits of debris from the explosion sticking in the back of Ethan's head. Cal shook his head, how on earth had Ethan managed to keep going with bits of glass sticking in the back of his head, surely the pain alone would be enough to make someone faint.

Cal took a pair of tweezers and began the enormous task of removing all of the splinters of wood and glass from the wound. It took a long time to make sure it was clean, they flushed it out with some warm saline to make sure that all of the dirt was gone. Robyn began stitching Ethan's head as he came around. Almost instantly he realised what she was doing and tried to fight her off.

'No Nibbles. She's trying to help, look at me, I'm here. Just stay calm for me' Cal murmured to his fretful brother. He stopped fighting Robyn as he realised that his brother was there.

'It hurts, it really hurts' he whimpered. Cal pulled him into a tight embrace as he began to sob.

'I know it does mate, but if you keep still for a minute longer, I can give you some pain relief' he whispered.

'NO NEEDLES' Ethan shouted. Cal shook his head trying not to laugh.

'I promise no needles, I have already set up an IV so there is no need' he explained. Ethan relaxed as he saw the cannula taped to his arm. Cal injected a small dose of morphine which seemed to do the trick. Ethan suddenly remembered about Lucy.

'Where is Lucy? What happened? Is she going to be alright?' he stammered.

'Why don't you take a look for yourself?' Cal whispered pointing to the bed beside him.

Lucy was sat up in the bed, looking worriedly at Ethan, as he looked at her a smile grew on her face. 'Hello' she murmured.


	5. Chapter 5

He smiled, hauling himself out of bed and across to see her. Cal let him walk by himself just resting his arm on the small of his back in case he needed help. He stumbled slightly as he made his way over to see Lucy. He could see that she had been crying.

'What's the matter?' He asked, wrapping his arm around her.

'I'm scared. What if he comes back?' She muttered.

'Who? Is that the guy I saw when I came to help you?' Ethan asked.

She nodded. It was her stepfather. He married her mum when she was three years old and hated her because she always got her mum's attention. He had adopted her when her mum died the year before and was constantly beating her. He made her into a little slave for himself.

'He won't be coming back, Cal has already called the police and we'll stay with you' He whispered.

Almost as soon as he spoke, the door swung open.

'Hello, this is DI Cooper and I am DCI Jacobs. I am here to speak to Mr Hardy about the incident.' The woman who entered spoke. Ethan stepped forward.

'This is Lucy. She is the victim of the attack. I was only passing by when I heard her getting attacked' Ethan explained.

'Okay, we shall have to interview her too then. Can we talk somewhere private first and then we'll interview Lucy too.' She muttered.

As Ethan left, Lucy began to cry. Cal wandered over to the bed to comfort her. He put an arm on her shoulder before pulling her close into a hug. She grabbed him tightly and refused to let go. He soothingly patted her back as she let her emotions show. She had been so strong for so long that it was taking its toll on her.

'What's the matter, honey?' he asked her concernedly.

'I'm really scared. I feel sick' she whimpered.

'I know darlin'. Everything is going to be alright' He murmured. He handed her a bowl in case she needed it.


	6. Chapter 6

The police woman returned with Ethan only a few moments later. Ethan strolled over to where Cal and Lucy were sat. 'Is it okay if this lovely Police lady speaks to you?' he asked her.

Lucy clutched at Cal's arm. She shook her head, tears spilling down her face.

'Do you want me to come with you?' Cal asked her.

She nodded. He lifted her out of the bed and walked out of the room carrying her. She wrapped her arms and legs around his torso and neck tightly. She continued crying, burying her face into his shoulder.

He smiled as the police woman showed him into a room. He sat on a chair and let Lucy sit on his lap. The police woman sat opposite him, but Lucy kept her face buried in him.

'Sweetie, can you tell this lady what happened to you?' Cal prompted. Lucy began to tremble.

'uh-uh-uh Dave- he-uh-uh –he –uh hit me' she started. The colour draining from her face. 'Uh then Ethan- he uh found me- Dave had –uh –uh given me –uh –uh' she began gasping unable to speak without stuttering. Her breathing became laboured.

'Lucy, take a deep breath for me. Okay darlin' I know it's difficult. That's it a nice deep breath. And again. There we go. Just look at me. Ignore everything else. Just focus on me and my voice. That's it good girl' he murmured. She had started hyperventilating as she spoke. Cal continued helping her to calm down.

'Keep going sweetie. That's right, deep breaths. Nice and slowly. That's right. Keep looking at me' he murmured. He smiled at her reassuringly as she struggled to breathe. Slowly she began to calm down enough so that they could continue. She was still on edge and Cal had brought in some oxygen for her to help her.

'I'm just going to put this over your mouth and nose, it will help you breathe easier. Don't worry I'm still here' he whispered adding the last part when she started grabbing for his hand. He placed the mask on her face holding it with his spare hand as she held his hand tightly.

The police woman continued with the interview. Lucy tried her best to answer every question as best as she could. Soon she began to feel really tired and started nodding off in Cal's arms.

'I think that is all we need for now, we will keep you both informed' the policewoman whispered nodding her head towards the sleeping girl. She was sucking her thumb still gripping tightly to Cal's hand. He smiled as he stood up, shaking the police officer's hand before leaving. He took Lucy back to the room where her bed was and tucked her in. He pulled up a chair and sat watching her as she slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Firstly I must apologise profusely, I dodn't realise that I hadn't updated this morning, I was flying this afternoon and it must have slipped my mind. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it somewhat...**

 **Secondly to those who are following my other stories that I haven't updated, I apologise, I have not got any solidly written chapters for them yet but fear not, I will make sure that there are several chapters written in the next couple of days for them** **! Hope you enjoy this story and please review! :)**

He wheeled her to x-ray to check to see how many of her bones were broken. In the end she had several broken ribs, her left wrist was broken, and she had broken her right leg. Cal was surprised that she wasn't in much pain considering the severity of her injuries. He injected her with some pain relief to be on the safe side. As he began plastering her leg and arm the door opened to reveal Ethan.

'What's up?' Ethan asked watching his brother intently

'She's broken her arm and leg. How can anyone do something like this to someone so small, so kind, so beautiful?' Cal asked tears forming in his eyes.

'I have no idea. It makes me sick' he whispered tears formed in his eyes too.

Lucy began to stir in her sleep. Suddenly she shot out of bed. A scream escaping from her lips. Her hold body shook as she cried her eyes out. The nightmares were awful.

'Hey, Lucy. I'm here. It's okay. Look, you're safe now. I promise' Cal whispered as he picked her up and gave her a cuddle. Ethan sat beside her, holding her hands in his.

'Please don't let him hurt me. I can't go back' she wailed. Ethan nodded his head understandingly.

'You're not going anywhere. I promise. You are going to stay here with me and Ethan' Cal whispered.

A few moments later one of the Social Services people arrived. Cal stood by Lucy's bed as she drifted off to sleep. Ethan showed them in to the small room where Lucy was. She was sleeping soundly for now. Cal and Ethan spoke to the woman for a while, discussing possible options. Neither of them wanted to let her go. In the end it resulted in Cal and Ethan adopting her. They brandished the papers with pride as they went to tell her the good news. When they got there, they found an empty bed. A note lay on the bed on top of the blankets that had been wrapped around Lucy.

It read:

If you are reading this then I have Lucy. She is mine, you can't have her. Do not call the police or I will kill her. The little trouble maker is where she belongs and there is nothing you can do about it.

Dave x

The end of the note made Cal angry. A little kiss, after stealing Lucy. Cal was furious. The social services woman was with them and immediately called the police. Ethan phoned security and replayed the CCTV footage of that morning. There was a man who entered the room just after they left wearing a porter's uniform. Cal traced his movements to the roof. Before anyone could stop him he sprinted up the flights of stairs to the roof.


	8. Chapter 8

He was stood by the edge, carrying a scared Lucy in his arms. She was trying not to cry and was fighting him off. He slapped her hard around the face. She yelped as he hit her. She saw Cal in the corner of her eye. He signalled to her that everything was okay and to keep quiet. He spun on his heels when he saw Caleb. He held Lucy's frail body away from him, over the edge of the building.

'Don't do it, please! Let Lucy be, she's only a child. Take on someone your own size. Just don't hurt her' Cal pleaded.

As Cal tried to bargain with Dave, Lucy began to sob. Ethan was just behind Cal, his presence unknown to Lucy.

'Darlin, please don't cry. It's going to be alright. Just ignore what Cal is doing and look at me' He said showing his face. 'Just listen to my voice. Are you hurt?' He asked

She nodded her head. She had been hit in the head again. She tried to stop crying and be brave just like Ethan said.

'Listen to me, do not go to sleep okay. I need you to promise that you won't go to sleep until I tell you that you can' Ethan instructed. She nodded her head. That was going to be difficult for her because she had been drugged already and was now competing with a headache.

The police were waiting on the stairwell for their cue. Before anyone could stop him, Dave pulled out a syringe full of a clear liquid and steadily injected it into Lucy's neck. She went limp in his arms quickly before he threw her onto the concrete ground like a rag doll.

As she hit the ground, a sickening crunch ran round their ears. Ethan hurried over to where Lucy was, cradling her in his arms. Tears running down his face. The police approached and arrested Dave. Cal ran over to his brother. He was crying, begging that Lucy would be alright.


	9. Chapter 9

She began to fit in Ethan's arms. Cal helped lay her onto the ground. They put her into the recovery position. He ran to fetch a trolley so they could take her to the ED. Once they got her back to the small side room, the seizing had stopped. But a new problem took its hold. Although she was still unconscious, her breathing was becoming laboured and shallow. Cal tried to intubate but it was a lot more difficult than he had anticipated. He ran a hand through his hair. If he didn't do it she might die.

He turned to his brother. 'Ethan, you'll have to do it.' He stated handing over the equipment. Ethan's hands shook as he took his place by Lucy's head. He steadily inserted the tube down the little girl's throat. He attached the balloon and helped her to breathe. From all of the fitting it appeared that one of her broken ribs had punctured her lung. Cal lifted her arm above her head. Ethan held it still whilst he handed Cal some gauze covered in iodine, to clean the site. They laid drapes over her and donned gloves and gown. Cal took the scalpel in his hand and gently traced the line that he had made billions of times for other patients. This time it was more difficult, not because of her size but because of how much he cared for her and didn't want to hurt her.

Steadily he inserted a tube into her chest and connected it to a chest drain. The lung re-inflated making it easier for Lucy to breathe. He carefully taped it into place. Ethan carefully lifted the little girl onto his lap. He sat where she had been on the bed. He held her as though she was a china doll which might break in his arms. She was so tiny that all of the machines seemed to swamp her. Cal sat beside him stroking her head. She was such a beautiful child and it was horrible to think that she had never been treated well.

She began to fidget it the younger doctor's arms. She grabbed his arms tightly. 'It's alright, darlin' it's me. It's Ethan.' He whispered. She looked up at him, relief flooded over her when she realised who it was. She started grabbing at the tube in her mouth. She gagged when she felt it running down her throat.

'It's helping you breathe. I'll get Cal and we can remove it, okay' he whispered. He left the room for a minute before returning with his brother. He smiled when he saw Lucy sat on the bed waiting patiently. Her face lit up when they both entered the room. It looked like she had been crying. She took Ethan's large hand in hers. She held it tightly not wanting to let go ever.

'Hello Lucy. Now Ethan tells me that this tube is getting annoying, shall we take it out?' Cal murmured. Lucy nodded.

'Okay, I need you to stay as still as you can, Cough when I tell you okay. Right on the count of three cough. One, Two, three' Cal instructed as he removed the tube. Lucy tried to say thank you but her throat was so dry that she couldn't form any words. She choked as she tried to speak. Ethan handed her a glass of water. 'Here, it might be a bit difficult to speak for a while but if you drink lots of water it will get easier.' He explained. She smiled gratefully at both of her saviours before drinking the whole glass of water in one go. 'Thank you' she whispered croakily.

Ethan sat with her that night until Cal finished his shift. Ethan told Cal to go home and get some rest and that they would take it in turns staying with their new family member. Cal didn't go straight home. Instead he went to the shops and bought some clothes, toys and books for Lucy. He cleared out the spare room and made it look nice.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Cal arrived at the hospital. He found Ethan and Lucy cuddled up on the bed together. It was an adorable sight. Lucy was wearing Ethan's glasses on her face. She looked quite a bit like him. In fact it was kind of freaky how much they looked like each other.

Ethan woke up a few minutes later to be greeted by a crowd of people gathered watching him sleep. He looked over to see his brother filming him. He could just see the fuzzy outline of his brother. He tried to search for his glasses and couldn't find them. Cal reached out, taking them off of Lucy and handed them to him. 'What are you doing?' Ethan demanded.

'I couldn't help it, it was so cute. Lucy was wearing your glasses as you slept and she looked just like you. She was cuddled up to you. Everyone wanted to see' he explained defensively. Lucy began to stir. 'It's alright, sweetie we are going home soon. I just need to speak to the social services lady about some stuff, so if you get her ready then when I get back we can leave' Cal said turning to his brother.

Ethan nodded as Cal left the room. Cal went to speak to the woman. He wanted to know what had happened to Lucy's father.

'Well, we do have a record for him but I'm afraid that we can't be certain. We think that Lucy's mother realised that she was pregnant and never told him. I have the information here if you want to have a look, it isn't confidential or anything as you are her adopted family now' she explained.

Cal took the documents and began leafing through them. He recognised the details belonging to Lucy's father but he couldn't put his finger on it.


	11. Chapter 11

He turned around to see Ethan approaching with a still sleepy Lucy in his arms. Cal reached out and took Lucy from his brother who was still a bit unsteady on his feet. 'Eth, just a quick one before we go, when is your birthday? It's just that we need it for the form' Cal asked. '23rd April 1985' he answered. Cal looked down at the papers in front of him, it said the same date of birth, the same blood type, and the same details that matched Ethan. 'Oh my goodness' Cal muttered. 'What, what's going on Caleb?' Ethan asked. 'Umm I don't know how to explain this to you but, I don't think we will be needing these adoption forms.' Cal murmured.

'Cal, that's kind of the point we are adopting Lucy' Ethan stated frustrated.

'Yeah well, that might change somewhat, I mean a father can't adopt their own child can they?' Cal whispered so as not to wake Lucy.

'What the hell are you talking about?' Ethan said raising his voice.

'I now realise why you and Lucy look so similar. Ethan, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter, Lucy' Cal exclaimed. Ethan looked at Cal, he was in shock. 'Ethan, Lucy is your biological daughter' Cal explained.

'But, I didn't know, how?' Ethan stammered.

'You don't need me to explain how, all you need to be told is that Lucy is not being put up for adoption because she is yours' Cal explained.

'Mr Hardy, if this is true you will need a quick DNA test and then you can take Lucy home, as soon as we have the results we will be able to allow you permanent guardianship whereas now you will only have temporary guardianship whilst we wait for the results' the Social Services woman explained. Ethan and Cal both agreed. It would increase the accuracy if Cal did a DNA test too. They went to a cubicle.

Cal prepared the necessary equipment for the blood tests. Ethan was afraid of needles so Cal put up a small screen so that Ethan couldn't see what was happening. 'Roll your sleeves up for me Nibbles, that's it, now look at me, this is not going to hurt, okay. I promise this will not hurt' Cal whispered. Ethan nodded his head. 'Right, now you need to look away for a moment, okay. I promise I will be gentle' Cal murmured to his brother who was trembling. He picked up the needle and brought it closer. 'Okay, here we go. Just hold still and don't worry' Cal soothed as he gently inserted the needle into his brother's arm. Ethan flinched as the needle pierced his skin.

He tried not to show how scared he was but he was really not comfortable. 'Okay, just one more minute and it will be over' Cal murmured. Ethan repeated this to himself. 'One minute, one minute. Just one minute' he thought. Before he knew it, Cal had taken the needle out and put a small plaster over the puncture wound. 'All done!' He declared.

Ethan smiled, he was proud of himself for not freaking out when the needle was in his arm.

'Right, Cal it's your turn.' Ethan declared before putting some gloves on. Cal sat on the bed, Lucy was snuggled up beside him. He put an arm around her to keep her warm.

'Okay, you know the drill, you will feel a sharp scratch and it shouldn't hurt and whatever else I'm supposed to say' Ethan whispered jokily.

He took the needle and inserted into Cal's arm, he filled several vials of his blood before removing the needle. The social services woman filled out several forms and sent them to the lab to be checked. Ethan lifted Lucy into his arms and carried her to the car. She woke up as they were driving home.

'Where am I?' She whispered sleepily.

'It's alright Lucy, you're here with me and Cal, and we're taking you home with us!' Ethan murmured. She was sat in the back right next to him and he lifted her onto his lap for a cuddle. She buried her head into his chest. 'I love you' she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

They arrived home moments later. Lucy was now wide awake and buzzing with excitement. She was looking around with a shocked facial expression. The house was a lot bigger than the house that she had lived in before. It was like a palace. She followed the brothers into the house. 'Just make yourself at home' Cal told her. They went to the kitchen and got something to drink. 'What would you like, we have water, juice, milk, tea, hot chocolate, or chocolate milk?' Ethan asked her.

'Please can I have some water?' She asked in a whisper.

'Of course you can' Ethan said as he handed her a glass of water. She reached out to take the glass but spilt some of it when she took it.

'I-I-I'm really sorry. I-it was an accident. I-I-I didn't mean to do it' she stuttered. She cowered in the corner.

'Oh sweetie, it's alright. It's just water. It can easily be cleaned up. Don't worry about it.' Cal and Ethan both soothed.

Cal reached his hand out for her to take. Gingerly she took it and he led her towards the table. He hoisted her up onto it. 'Come here. Don't worry about anything. Ethan and I aren't ever going to hurt you, I promise. If anyone ever tries to hurt you again they will have me to deal with okay?' Cal exclaimed.

'Okay, I'm sorry' She whispered bowing her head ashamedly.

'Hey, look at me. There is nothing you need to apologise for, you did nothing wrong. Now what are we going to do today?' Cal explained before turning to his brother.

'Right well we will need to get some new clothes, shoes, toys and books for Lucy because she doesn't have anything' Ethan stated. 'We could also get some food shopping in'

'Okay then, let's go choose a room for Lucy. We can also get some paint or wallpaper, and other things to put in her room to make it more special' Cal suggested. Ethan grabbed some things and put them in his pocket before loading up the car. They drove to the nearest shopping centre to fetch some clothes.

They bought her lots of new clothes, toys, books and other things that she might need. They let Lucy choose exactly what she wanted and paid for the lot. At first Lucy was uneasy and was trying to only get a few things because she didn't want them to spend all of their money. But Ethan insisted on her getting as much as she wanted because she would need it.

They then travelled to the nearby hardware shop to get some things to decorate Lucy's room. Lucy had decided to get her room painted a turquoise colour with a silver coloured lamp shade for the lamp. They went to the furniture shop and ordered some new furniture for the room before returning home.

Ethan helped carry all of the shopping upstairs. He put all of the bags into his room whilst they painted and decorated Lucy's room. Cal would have to clean out all of his junk first but it was a nice little room with lots of space to play. Lucy chose that room because it was in between both Ethan's room and Cal's room so it made her feel safe. Cal had almost predicted that she would want this room so he had already cleared put most of the junk.

Cal took all of the paint and decorating things to the room. He spread a thin tarpaulin across the floor before pouring paint into a tray. He painted the walls as quickly as he could. Once they were painted he helped Lucy decorate it with pictures and drawings.


	13. Chapter 13

They had received the results in the post some days later, it indicated that Ethan was in fact her father and was awarded custody of Lucy.

A couple of weeks later Lucy started school. She was quite nervous but seemed to fit in very well. It was early one morning, Ethan had to go to work early so Cal was dropping his niece at school. 'Lucy, you go with Uncle Cal, he'll make sure you get to school on time' Ethan told her as he left.

'I will indeed, because school is very important' Cal explained unconvincingly.

'Did you like school?' Lucy asked her uncle.

'Um... Well not really, no. I didn't see the point of it but I get it now because if I hadn't gone to school I wouldn't be a doctor would I?' He said. 'Do you like school Lu?' He asked his niece.

'Not really, can I tell you something Uncle Cal? But promise you won't tell daddy!' Lucy enquired

'Yeah, whats wrong?' He whispered.

'Some people at school are sometimes... Kind of... Um... Mean to me, they say horrible things and make me cry' she whimpered, getting upset at the thought of the people who upset her regularly.

'Oh sweetheart, why didn't you tell your daddy or me, you know we can help you' he muttered

'I'm sorry, its just I thought it was my fault that they were horrible to me, just like Dave was, I thought I was the problem' she cried tears streaming down her face.

Cal scooped his niece into his arms and wiped her tears away with his thumb. 'Now you listen to me Lucy, it not your fault that these people are horrible to you, it wasn't your fault what Dave did to you either, these people can't make you feel like this, just ignore them and don't let them upset you. I will go and speak to the head teacher and see what we can do about it' he murmured, Lucy buried her head into his shoulder, she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes at the familiar smell of the aftershave that her uncle and her father wore. It reminded her of them and comforted her when she could smell it.

Cal took her to school, she climbed out of the car timidly before grabbing her bag. She smiled and hugged her uncle before disappearing off into the crowds.

Cal was travelling to work when Ethan called him.

'Did Lucy get to school alright?' Ethan asked his brother

'Yeah, but she was kind of upset because some people have been quite mean to her' Cal told him.

'Well have you spoken to the school?' Ethan asked worriedly.

'Yeah, they said that they would talk to her teacher but, she's being bullied, we need to talk to her about it, maybe even move schools!' Cal spoke

'Lets not go over the top, I've been bullied before, lets not be drastic until we know what is going on alright!' Ethan told him. Cal arrived at work and got changed into his scrubs.

The red phone rang and Zoe called him and Ethan to her office. Ethan and Cal looked at each other with a questioning gaze before looking at Zoe.

'Right, listen to me, there has been an accident at Holby Junior School and it looks like it might have involved Lucy. Now you know the rules, you won't be allowed to treat her as she is family but I would like you both to stay with her, apparently she is quite upset' Zoe explained.

As they heard this both of the brother's grabbed each other. Tears running down their faces.

'She's done nothing wrong in her entire life yet she has been beaten up for her whole life, the poor little mite.' Cal muttered.

Zoe led them outside to wait for the ambulance. As it pulled up Cal switched into Doctor mode, as well as Supportive older brother/ uncle Cal mode.

'Right, here we have Lucy Hardy, aged 6 years old, she was pushed down a flight of stairs and beaten up at school. Her sats are at 95%, BP 120/60 and she's slightly tachychardic, her pulse is at 100'

'Hello Lucy! It's alright, we're here now, just stay calm' Cal whispered.

Ethan took her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. 'Daddy's here now, I promise nothing will happen to you, not whilst I have a breath left in my body' he murmured as they took her to resus.


	14. Chapter 14

They lifted her onto a bed, she whimpered in pain. She was writhing on the bed in pain, her face was bright red and the veins in her neck were engorged. Ethan tried to blink back his tears. Cal put a hand on his shoulder. Lucy was getting more and more panicked. Zoe tried to examine her injuries but Lucy kept fighting her away.

'Lucy, sweetheart, let Zoe have a look, she won't hurt you' Ethan pleaded with his daughter. She continued fighting her off.

Cal stepped forward. 'Let me take her, I know what to do to calm her down. Please let me try' Cal begged. The nurses, doctors and paramedics stepped back to give Cal some room. He sat on the bed beside Lucy and scooped her up into his arms. 'Ethan, go get your hoody from your locker, just trust me, she'll be alright I promise' Cal insisted. Ethan ran to his locker and returned moments later with the hoody. Cal took it gratefully, he held it next to Lucy's face. She rolled over and buried her head in it. She took a deep breath.

The faint smell of Ethan's aftershave filled her nostrils. She relaxed slightly. Cal unfolded the jumper and put it on his niece. He helped her get comfortable before giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead. He stepped back and everyone looked at him in awe. They had never thought that the macho Caleb Knight would be so good with kids.

'How did you do that?' Ethan asked him.

Cal shrugged, 'have you ever noticed when you hug Lu, that she takes a deep breath when she buries her head into your shoulder or chest?' He asked. Ethan nodded. 'It because she is smelling you, she likes the smell of the aftershave that we use, it makes her feel safe, its like a comfort blanket or something' Cal explained.

Ethan smiled, he never knew that, it was really sweet that his brother was able to notice and use that to help them. He looked at his brother in awe. He clapped Cal on the back before focusing his attention on his daughter.

Lucy was snuggled up in the jumper still holding her uncle's hand. She was trying her best not to cry although she was in agony.

'Where does it hurt darlin'?' Ethan asked her.

'My head, my chest, my leg and my arm' she whimpered, biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

He stroked her hair lovingly, smiling at her. 'It's alright sweetie, don't worry, we'll get you some medicine to stop it hurting in a minute, you're being really brave' he murmured. The tears streamed down her cheeks. She had been holding it in for so long but she just couldn't anymore. Cal sat on the floor beside her bed and rested his chin on the bed next to her.

'It's okay darling, just look at me, ignore everything else and focus on Uncle Cal' he murmured.

Ethan prepared the equipment so he could administer the pain relief. Zoe had decided that just this once it would be easier if Ethan and Cal treated Lucy. Ethan began to roll up the sleeve of the hoody.

'It's alright sweetie, I just need to give you some medicine, but don't worry about what I am doing, look at Uncle Cal, alright' he whispered.

He brought the needle closer to Lucy. Cal pulled the hood up onto Lucy's head so that she was engulfed by the comforting scent. She relaxed more as the needle was inserted into her arm although she did flinch slightly. He injected some morphine into her which instantly relieved some of her pain.


	15. Chapter 15

They took Lucy for an x-ray, almost as soon as the returned her breathing became laboured. She writhed on the bed gasping for breath as she struggled to breathe. Her face was etched in agony as it grew paler and paler. Her heart rate was through the roof. Ethan carefully rolled her onto her side and held her hand as they wheeled her back into resus. Cal took the stethoscope from around his neck and put it in his ears. He rolled up the jumper and her top. He could see bruises forming along the side of her chest. He gently placed the end of the stethoscope on her chest. She winced as it made contact with her injured body. He placed a hand on the other side of her chest. He removed the stethoscope from his ears and handed it to his brother.

'Fetch me a gown, some drapes and the chest drain kit' he ordered one of the nurses

'What's wrong?' Ethan asked worriedly.

'She's got a haemothorax' Cal told his brother. The colour in Ethan's face drained. Ethan pulled up a stool and sat by Lucy's head at the end of the bed. He stroked her cheek gently.

He helped her remove the hoody because she wouldn't let them cut it off. He then cut off her t-shirt so that Cal could do the procedure. He folded up the jumper and put it beside her head so that she could still smell its familiar scent.

'It's alright Lucy, everything will be okay' he murmured.

Cal hurriedly put on the gown as Lofty spread the drapes, Lucy began to tremble, so Cal placed a hand on her side comfortingly.

'Alright Lucy, this may feel a bit uncomfortable, but I'll try to be gentle. Try not to get upset, just ignore what I am doing and look at your daddy, okay' he murmured.

Ethan placed an oxygen mask over his daughter's face. He lifted her arm above her head and held her tiny hand in his. Cal wiped some iodine onto her side. He picked up the scalpel. He drew a sharp intake of breath before he made the incision. Lucy sobbed as the blade cut her skin.

'I know baby, it's alright, you're being really brave. Just keep still for a moment longer' Ethan whispered.

'You're doing really well, this might hurt a little bit but just keep still it will only be a for a minute' Cal murmured. 'Lofty, can you pass me the clamp please' he instructed.

Lofty passed the clamp to Cal. Cal took it with trembling hands. He took a deep breath and began to feed the tube into his niece's tiny chest. She moaned as the sharp pain made her chest ache. Ethan squeezed her hand tightly. Tears pooled on her face behind the oxygen mask.

Cal tried to pretend that it wasn't his niece who he was treating. It was difficult. He blinked back tears as Lucy cried out in pain again.

'Alright darling, can you cough for me?' He asked.

She coughed gently and the chest drain began to bubble as the red blood began to drain from her chest and fill it.


	16. Chapter 16

'Alright, its done, now Lofty could you suture please.' Cal instructed.

He placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, 'lofty here is going to stitch up the cut on your chest so that the tube doesn't fall out, he'll give you some medicine to make it feel numb, like we did when we fixed your head, alright, so just keep still for me' Cal murmured.

Lucy sat still until she saw the needle that Lofty was preparing, she began to sob. 'Alright Lucy, its alright, I should have told you not to look, its my fault, I'm sorry darling, it won't hurt I promise' Cal whispered. 'Look at me, that's it good girl, now where has that beautiful smile disappeared to then?' He asked her with a grin. She smiled at him weakly as the tears fell down her cheeks. 'Oh come on you can do better than that' Cal told her and her smile brightened momentarily before it faltered. The needle pierced the tender skin on her ribs making her wince.

'Alright darling, I know it's uncomfortable, just keep looking at me.' Cal told her. She looked at him and smiled, taking in a deep breath of the scent of his aftershave as he leant next to her. Lofty quickly sutured up the cut on her chest and left the family alone.

Lucy winced in pain as she tried to move her arm closer to her uncle to give him a hug.

'Does it hurt?' He asked her. She nodded her head gently.

Cal pulled his gloves off and left the room, as he stepped outside he was greeted by crowds of his colleagues and friends eagerly awaiting some news of Lucy's condition.

A cheer erupted from the crowd, they had all seen Cal doing the procedure and how much courage it had taken. He smiled embarrassedly. 'It's not me who deserves this. If Lucy hadn't been so brave...' He started.

'If you hadn't of been so comforting to her then she would never have been so brave, Lucy wanted me to say thanks to her Uncle Cal for being so nice to her and making her feel better' Ethan spoke suddenly appearing beside his brother.

The crowds clapped for Cal as he wandered to the nurses' station. Lofty handed him a dish with the necessary pain medication in it. 'I though you might need this.' He told Cal.

Cal returned to the room where Lucy was getting a bit fretful. 'What's wrong Lu?' He asked her.

'It really hurts now, please make it stop' she whimpered.

'I have some medicine which will hopefully do just that, alright baby. Don't you worry' he murmured as he administered the medication.

Ethan returned to the room a few seconds later with the results from the x-rays. 'Right, Lucy has a broken arm, a broken leg, several broken ribs and has a piece of glass embedded in her scalp which thankfully hasn't done any damage to the surrounding arteries' Ethan told Cal.

Lucy muttered something that neither Cal nor Ethan could understand. 'What's the matter baby?' Ethan asked her, she pointed to the door, she could see a couple of the girls from school stood watching. 'T-t-tell them t-to g-go, p-p-please' she begged.

Cal stalked over to the door and pushed it open. The kids jumped in shock as they saw that Lucy had identified them. They froze as Cal stood in front of them.

'Can you see what you have done? Lucy won't be able to walk for a long time because of her broken leg, she had a tube in her chest helping her breathe, she had a swollen black eye which she can't see out of, her head is bleeding, she's got a broken arm and many of her ribs are broken too.' He said raising his voice.

'W-w-we're sorry mister' one of the girls spoke.

'That's not good enough, I have the right mind to call the police and have you all arrested for assault. You horrible people, you should be ashamed of yourselves showing up here trying to frighten her even more when she has already been through enough. We had to cut into her chest to help her breathe without any pain relief. You could have killed her. She's a better person than you will ever be, because she cares more about other people than she cares for herself.' He shouted.

'Please, we really are sorry mister, we didn't mean to hurt her so badly' another of the girls spoke.

' 'we didn't mean to hurt her so badly' oh you lot are pathetic, get out of my sight now, before I call the police, and its Doctor Knight to you, I'm Lucy's uncle and Doctor, so don't you dare mess with her again or you will have to deal with me' he screamed at the girls as they fled.

Ethan came up to Cal and slipped a hand into his. They stood in silence for a moment before they heard a little whisper coming from the room beside them. 'I-I-I'm sorry' Lucy whispered.

'What are you sorry for darling?' Ethan asked her.

'It's my fault, I should have told you before, if I had told you earlier then you wouldn't be so worried and Uncle Cal wouldn't be so angry' Lucy whimpered.

'Oh darling, that's not true. Uncle Cal is angry with the girls that hurt you, it's their fault not yours, you were scared to tell us because you thought it was your fault, it was never your fault' Ethan murmured pulling her into his arms. He cradled his little girl in his arms and wiped away her tears.

Lucy began to fall asleep in his arms as Robyn entered. She was going to put the plaster cast on her leg and arm. Cal stood next to the bed, as her doctor he would be the one who made the cast.

'Hey Lu, we're going to put a special kind of bandage on your leg which will stop you from being able to move your leg and arm too much. It won't hurt but it will feel kind of strange, alright' he explained. Lucy tried to sit up.

'Just relax darling, Uncle Cal is going to help you, you just sit there and look beautiful' Ethan whispered jokily making Lucy smile.

Ethan assisted his brother in applying the plaster casts. He held Lucy's leg gently in position as Cal carefully put the plaster onto her leg. 'What colour shall we have Lucy?' Cal asked her.

'Purple?' She asked.

'Of course, I'm sure we can find some purple can't we Robyn' he said turning to the nurse.

'Yes we can, in fact I think I saw a roll of purple in the store cupboard with your name on it' she whispered before leaving to fetch it. She returned moments later with the roll. On the roll was a sticky note with Lucy's name printed on it with some flowers decorating it. Lucy smiled.

'Thanks Robyn' Cal murmured before finishing the plaster casts. He then instructed Robyn to fetch a wheelchair and some children's crutches. Lucy would have her leg in plaster for a while longer than her arm because of the severity of the break but for the time being she would be using a wheelchair after the chest drain and with the broken ribs.

'Let's get this head looked at shall we?' He whispered to Lucy. She nodded timidly.

Ethan put some gloves on. 'Let's do it like we did last time sweetie, I'll have a look and then Uncle Cal can do the stitches, yeah?' He suggested. Lucy nodded. Cal took her onto his lap, he pulled her into a gentle hug and she buried he face into his shoulder and took a deep breath.

Ethan gentle brushed her hair away from the cut on her head. She took Cal's hand in hers and began to play with it as Ethan began looking at the wound. His fingers gently touched the wound making her wince slightly.

'Alright sweetie, I'm sorry. It looks like there is some glass in it so I'm going to gently take the glass out, it might hurt a little bit but I promise to be gentle. Just tell me if it hurts and I will stop' he murmured. He took a pair of tweezers and began carefully extracting the shards of glass from her scalp. Se winced as he pulled out the last piece of glass.

'Okay, Uncle Cal, its time for you to work your magic and fix Lucy's head again' Ethan announced. He took his brother's place beside Lucy as Cal quickly began stitching. As soon as he finished Zoe came into the room to check on them.

'It looks like you both have done a brilliant job, well done.' She told them.

'Well, it was really all down to Lucy, if she wasn't so calm we would never have managed this' Cal told her.

'Ah, I happen to have a prize for our bravest patient right here' Zoe said as she gestured to Max to come in. He was carrying a giant bar of chocolate for Lucy and was wheeling a wheelchair with him.

'Oh thank you' Lucy said as they handed her the chocolate.

'You're very welcome, Now we have to quickly see to the chest drain and then you can go home' Zoe told her.

They removed the chest drain carefully and then Cal lifted his niece gently and placed her in the wheelchair. Ethan put the hoody around her and a blanket to keep her warm.

As they wheeled through the reception area everyone stopped. All of the staff were crowded by the door stopping them from leaving. Many of them had gifts and toys for Lucy. They crowded her and handed her their gifts. Even Connie had something for Lucy.


	17. Chapter 17

When they took Lucy home, they had to carry her up to her room. Ethan insisted on sleeping on the arm chair in her room so that he could make sure that she was alright. Cal woke up half way through the night and insisted that Ethan went and got some proper sleep whilst he sat with Lucy. A few minutes after Ethan left Lucy started having a bad dream. 'No...no...please...don't...i'm sorry... Please...help me' she whimpered as she tossed and turned as much as she could with the plaster cast on her arm and her leg.

Cal scooped his sleeping niece into his arms and pulled her close. He held her tightly. 'It's okay, you're safe, no one is going to hurt you anymore, I promise' he murmured. All of a sudden she could smell the familiar smell surrounding her, she felt more confident as though she could do anything that she wanted. Her eyes flickered open. Cal was wrapping her up in his arms underneath his duvet, she snuggled into it and fell back asleep.

The nightmares didn't return that night. Ethan woke up early the next morning and went straight to go and check on his daughter and his brother. He saw Lucy curled up on Cal's lap sucking her thumb, whilst holding tightly to his arm. She had buried her head into his chest and was holding him tightly. Cal was cradling her in his arms, like she belonged there. Ethan bent over and kissed Lucy's forehead causing her to wake up slightly. 'Daddy?' She murmured.

'Yeah, I'm here, how are you feeling?' He asked her.

'My chest hurts a bit now' she admitted.

'I'll help you downstairs and we'll get you some medicine to make you feel better' Ethan told her before he woke his brother up. Cal hurried down the stairs just in time as the kettle boiled and Ethan made him a cup of coffee. Lucy was sat at the breakfast table staring at the blank wall beside her.

'What's up Lu?' Cal asked his niece. Lucy shook her head. 'Look at me, Lucy, what's wrong?' He asked her sternly. She turned to face her uncle. He could see tears running down her cheeks.

'I don't want to go back, please don't make me go back' she sobbed. Cal pulled up a chair next to where she was sat. He took her hand in his and stroked it with his thumb.

'We won't make you do anything you don't want to do, but you need to tell us what exactly happened yesterday sweetheart' he murmured.

Lucy wiped her eyes using the tissue that Ethan handed her. Silence fell on the room when Lucy took a deep breath before she began to speak.

'I-I-I don't know where t-to b-begin' she whimpered.

'Start from the very beginning and tell us everything' Ethan prompted.


	18. Chapter 18

It all started on the first day that Lucy went to school. She was quite nervous and didn't really know how to socialise with people. The teacher introduced her to the class and Lucy was told to sit at the front of the class so that the teacher could help her. She struggled a lot because before she had moved in with her father and Cal, she had hardly ever attended school. The teacher asked her a question which Lucy struggled with and couldn't answer correctly. Everyone started laughing at her because they all though that it was an easy question and that she was stupid for getting it wrong. When she went out for playtime the other children in her class were horrible to her. They threatened her and tripped her over. She ran away and locked herself in the bathroom. The next day they were mean to her again but this time it was worse because they got some of the older kids to pick on her too.

Cal and Ethan sat silently listening to what Lucy was saying. Cal lifted her onto his lap and stroked her hair tenderly as she poured her heart out.

'And then yesterday when I was going outside for playtime, they crowded around me and pushed me down the stairs. I-I-I f-fell and w-when they saw me on the ground t-they b-began kicking me. I-i-it r-really hurt. I tried to be b-brave but I couldn't' she whimpered tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

'Oh sweetie, you don't have to be brave all of the time, it's okay to get upset sometimes' Ethan murmured as he kissed her forehead.

'It really did hurt, I-I don't want them to do it again' Lucy sobbed.

'I bet it did sweetheart, I bet it did, but you're safe now. I promise, those kids won't hurt you again' Cal murmured wrapping her up in his arms.

She gripped his arm tightly. The colour drained from her face, her breathing slowly became more and more shallow and erratic. She was incredibly warm to his touch as he placed a hand on her forehead.

Ethan crouched on the ground in front of his daughter. He used his hand to move her face so that she was looking at him. 'Alright baby, calm down. Uncle Cal and I are here, don't worry' he whispered. He looked up at his brother for help.

'Listen to me sweetie, everything will be alright. Just take a nice deep breath. That's it darling. And again. There we go' he soothed. Ethan grabbed his jumper from the laundry pile and put it on his daughter. Lucy placed a hand on her chest as the pain got worse.

'Where does it hurt?' Ethan asked. Lucy gestured to the site gingerly.

Ethan stood up and left the room he returned moments later carrying his medical bag. He placed it on the floor and pulled out an oxygen mask and an oxygen canister. He set it up and placed the mask on her face. Cal held the mask in his spare hand as he cradled the tiny child in his arms. Ethan left the room. He took a small syringe from his bag and drew up a small dose of morphine. He hid the syringe behind his back before he returned to the room. He approached his daughter. Cal rolled up her top and the jumper.

'Lucy just focus on Uncle Cal, ignore what I am doing. I'm just going to give you some medicine to stop your chest from hurting.' Ethan whispered. He carefully injected the morphine into her bruised chest. She whimpered slightly as the needle pierced the skin on her side. Cal let her bury her head into his chest. She could hear the steady thumping of his heart.


	19. Chapter 19

Later that day, Cal and Ethan took Lucy to school to have a meeting with the head teacher. As they pulled outside the school, Lucy began to tremble. Cal leaned backwards as Ethan parked the car and took her hand in his. 'I promise, everything will be okay, we will go to the head, you just have to tell her what you told us earlier and then we'll leave. I promise it will be half an hour tops!' He murmured. He lifted Lucy into her wheelchair which Ethan pushed. On his back Ethan carried his med bag in case Lucy had another panic attack or needed some pain relief he was prepared.

Cal walked alongside the wheelchair holding onto Lucy's good hand, squeezing it gently to try and reassure her. They waited outside the head teacher's office patiently until they were called in for their meeting. Cal held the door open for Lucy and Ethan but as they entered Lucy cowered in the chair and tried to wheel herself back outside, Cal looked into the room and saw the girls who had been bullying her were sat in there looking rather guilty.

Lucy tried to climb out of the chair in an attempt to escape this fate. Ethan continued into the room. Cal leapt forward and grabbed his niece before she hit the ground as she tried to throw herself from the chair. 'It's okay, we're here, nothing is going to happen to you' Cal told her. 'Remember what your daddy told you, not whilst he has a breath left in his body, well he's still alive so I'm guessing that nothing will happen to you, okay' he murmured.

Lucy continued panicking until she started hyperventilating. Ethan pulled the bag from his shoulder and retrieved the oxygen. He placed the mask on her face and Cal held it there whilst he sat on a chair holding her on his lap. 'Breathe for me Lucy, just a couple of nice deep breaths. Please, calm down and breathe. Focus on my voice, only my voice and ignore everything going on around you' he instructed. Lucy looked up at him and gazed into his eyes. 'Alright baby, keep breathing, that's it good girl. I promise nothing is going to happen. Just keep breathing' he instructed. The head teacher was watching this in amazement she sent the girls outside whilst they tried to make Lucy more comfortable.

Lucy clutched at her chest sobbing. 'I know Lucy, let's get you some more medicine' Ethan murmured. He picked up a chair and turned it around so he could hide the equipment behind it. He placed the chair so it was facing away from her and lined up the equipment on the chair, he drew up the small dose and indicated to Cal that he was ready. Cal picked Lucy out of her wheelchair and turned her around so she was facing him. She knew exactly what to do and buried her head into his shoulder after rolling up her top slightly so that Ethan could inject the morphine into her. Cal held her top for her. Lucy didn't even bat an eyelid when the needle poked into her side.

Ethan returned the equipment to his bag and then turned the chair to face the head teacher. He sat down and reached a hand out to hold onto his daughter's. 'I'm so sorry about that. Lucy has been struggling with panic attacks for quite a while. As a result of the injuries she sustained yesterday and the severity of them we have had to resort to injecting morphine directly into her ribs to prevent the agony that follows the panic attacks' Ethan explained.

'It's not a problem at all, I was deeply upset to find out about the incident yesterday Dr Hardy. Especially after my meeting with Dr Knight yesterday, where he brought the bullying to my attention. I can assure you that these kids will be punished accordingly' the head said.

'I'm sure that you will be understanding when we say that Lucy will not be returning to school as it is too difficult for her. She has been suffering from nightmares as a result of her life before she came to me and now she's suffering as a result of the incident yesterday. I think it is unfair for her to be made to return to somewhere where she no longer feels safe' Ethan muttered.

The head was very understanding and listened as Lucy told her side of the story, when Lucy began getting upset the head teacher told her that 'it's quite enough, you don't have to continue if you don't want to'. Lucy finished the story and curled herself up into a tight ball on her Uncle's lap. Cal turned her around so she was looking at him, he wiped the tears from her face using his thumb.

'Can we go home please, I just want to go home' she whimpered against his shoulder.

'Alright sweetie, I'm just going to take Lucy out to the car, I think she might need some air' Cal said turning to his brother.

'No worries, take the keys and I'll meet you out there in a second' Ethan whispered. He kissed his daughter's forehead as Cal put her into the wheelchair. 'Be good for Uncle Cal, alright' he whispered with a smile.

Cal gently closed the door behind them and wheeled his niece outside into the fresh air. She relaxed as they walked further and further away from the school. 'Uncle Cal, do I have to go back to school? I don't like it' she whispered.

'You will have to go to school at some point but for now you get to stay with me and daddy, you will go to a different school eventually but Daddy wants to keep you home for now' he explained.

The wind began to blow quite fiercely as they were walking. Lucy started shivering. 'Here, take this' he said handing her a bundle. She unraveled it to reveal a smaller version of Ethan's hoody.

'I asked the other doctors if they could get you one, I sprayed some of my aftershave on it to make it smell nice, so whenever you feel scared, or sad you know I am always with you' he told her. She beamed as she put it on and smelt it.

'I love it. Thanks Uncle Cal' she whispered. A minute later Ethan came over. He was carrying a large stack of papers and books in his arms. He piled them into the car before going to where Lucy and Cal were.

He lifted Lucy from the wheelchair and gave her a hug. 'Well done sweetie, you did really well' he murmured as he put her in the car. She snuggled up to him as he climbed in next to her. Cal climbed into the driver's seat.

Cal was driving really carefully. Every small bump he slowed down for so that Lucy wouldn't get too shaken up of the journey. She cried out a couple of times when they were driving as the motion was causing her to get rocked about and was making her ribs, arm and leg hurt.

He turned around a bend as another car came round in the opposite direction. The car was coming at them head on so he swerved to avoid hitting it. As he did he lost control of the car and it swerved onto an embankment. The other car ploughed into the at a high speed. Lucy screamed as the pain in her chest became too much to bear. Ethan pulled her close, using his body to protect her from the inevitable impact. He buried her head into his lap, as the car hit.


	20. Chapter 20

The car was no longer recognisable. It vaguely resembled a screwed up piece of paper. There was no sound or movement coming from it. The other vehicle was less damaged. The occupant climbed out of it and fled when they realised how serious the accident was that they had caused.

A few minutes later a passerby stumbled upon the wreckage and called an ambulance. He climbed into the back of the car and realised that he knew the people involved. Lucy began to stir as she came round. 'Hey it's Lucy isn't it?' He asked. She nodded. 'Keep you head still, I'm Jacob, do you remember me, I work with your daddy and Uncle. Listen I need you to keep still, but are you hurt?' He asked. She looked down at her body, and then she saw her leg. It was definitely broken. It was bleeding a lot. She started to cry.

'It's alright, I promise. Just keep looking at me. Does anything else hurt other than your leg?' He asked.

'M-my chest, b-broken ribs' she muttered.

The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Jacob sat on the spare seat in the back holding her head still with his hands. Lucy continued to sob. Cal was sat in the front seat slumped over the steering wheel, whilst Ethan was sat next to her, his head rested against the window. He was unconscious but he could hear his daughter crying. He moved his hand and took hers in his to comfort her as darkness swallowed him up again.

The paramedics ran over. Jacob helped them get Lucy out of the car, before returning to help his friends. Lucy began to get really scared so Dixie suggested that Jacob accompanied her to the ED whilst they helped Ethan and Cal. Iain tried to put a collar on her but she started fussing.

'Lucy, we need to put this on you to stop you from moving your head, it will stop you getting hurt, it doesn't hurt' he murmured.

'No, its not nice, I don't like it' she cried. Iain turned to Jacob. Suddenly Jacob had an idea. He had seen Cal using the hoody to calm her down so he ran to the car and fetched the jumper from the boot. He draped it over the tiny girl, she relaxed slightly letting them put the collar on her.

The drive to the hospital was quick, she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Jacob held her hand during the journey and she refused to let go. They arrived at the hospital only a few minutes later. Jacob had phoned ahead asking for Zoe to be on standby because she had some experience with the young girl. They carefully wheeled her through the ED and straight into resus.

'I want my daddy, where's my daddy?' Lucy cried as they tried to examine her injuries.

'Lucy, he's on his way sweetie, just keep still for me so we can look at you' Zoe spoke.

Lucy continued fussing. 'Lucy, your daddy's on his way, I promise he will be here soon but for now can we have a look at you injuries and try and make you better before he comes. I promise Dr Hanna won't hurt you, she just wants to look' Jacob murmured.

He took her hand in his and held it tightly. Jacob stayed with her whilst they treated her and Zoe came to speak to her. They left her leg because they wanted to wait until either Cal or Ethan could be there because she was so scared.

'Lucy, I have just spoken to another doctor, they said that your Uncle is awake and wants to see you, you won't be able to see your daddy for a while because he is really poorly' she whispered. Lucy was happy to see her uncle because she was getting quite upset without her family there with her. Jacob wheeled her to the room where Cal was. He was laid on a stretcher, his head was littered with cuts and bruises. His face lit up when he saw Lucy being wheeled in by Jacob She was in a wheelchair with a drip attached to her.

He sat up carefully and smiled at her. 'Hello darling' he whispered.

'Hello Uncle Cal, are you okay?' She asked worriedly.

'I am now that I am with you. I'm really sorry, it was my fault.' He muttered.

'No it wasn't you were driving really carefully. Have you seen Daddy?' She whispered.

'No baby, apparently he is a bit poorly at the moment but we might be able to see him in a moment' he whispered.

Cal looked out through the window behind Lucy, he cold see his brother on the bed, he was being resuscitated. He had all sorts of machine sticking out of him, and a long tube which was going down his throat helping him breath. The team paused CPR to check for an output, thankfully there was one and Cal sighed with relief.

He turned to Jacob who smiled at him weakly. 'Is she going to be okay? He asked worriedly.

'She'll be fine, she had an open fracture to the left tibia and fibula which will need pulling at some point, Zoe wanted to wait until one of you could be there with her' he explained.

Cal hauled himself out of the bed. 'What are we waiting for, let's get this over with' he muttered.

They took Lucy back to her room and lifted her onto the bed. Zoe came over and started preparing the equipment. 'Alright Lucy, the bone in your leg is broken and I need to pull on it to make it straight so it can get better' she explained.

Lucy took Cal's hand. He looked at her, 'it will hurt a bit but remember how brave you were yesterday when we did the chest drain, it will hurt like that but it won't last long, I promise' he whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. 'I will be here with you the whole time, I'll hold your hand and I'll make sure that you are okay' he murmured.

Zoe set up the gas and air. She handed it to Cal who demonstrated to Lucy how to use it. 'This is a special kind of medicine which makes things hurt less, you need to take a deep breath of this when it hurts and it makes it feel a bit better, it will still hurt but not as much' he explained. Zoe administered a small dose of morphine through the cannula before moving to the foot of the bed. Cal stood behind Lucy and threaded his arms over her shoulders and grabbed her hand tightly. Jacob held the top of her leg still.

As Zoe gripped her leg Lucy began to scream. At first it started off as gently sobbing until it became a loud howl of pain. 'I know Lu, just keep still you are doing really well' Cal murmured. Zoe tugged on her leg harder, Lucy's face went bright red as a loud shriek escaped her lips. 'Ow, ow, ow please stop. It really hurts, please!' She begged. Zoe relaxed her grip on the leg. She looked over at Cal and shook her head. The leg was in a tight spot which she couldn't pull it from.

'I can't do it. We need someone else to do it. I'll go get Dylan' she whispered before leaving. Cal shook his head, although he liked Dylan, he didn't have a great bedside manner and he wanted someone who would be nice to Lucy to look after her.

Lucy slumped back onto the pillows her face red from screaming, she took a deep breath of the gas and air. 'I'm sorry, it really did hurt' she whispered, apologising for screaming.

'Its okay, I know it hurts, a couple of years ago it happened to me and I screamed and cried like a baby, you are definitely braver than me' he murmured kissing her forehead.

The door swung open and Dylan marched in pulling on a pair of gloves. He administered a small dose of morphine. He looked over at Cal and sighed. Jacob took the traction as Dylan placed his warm hands on her leg. 'Right, Lucy take a nice deep breath of that gas and air, and keep doing it when it hurts, I know it makes you head feel kind of funny but just keep breathing it in' Cal instructed. She placed the mouthpiece in her mouth, she had to use two hands to hold it so Cal used his spare hand to hold it for her. She sucked on it as Dylan tightened his grip.

'Okay, lets do this quick I have a cheese sandwich waiting for me in the staffroom which will go mouldy if we don't hurry' Dylan stated.

He tugged on her leg, her creams filled the room. 'Ow, ow, ow, it really hurts' she screamed. Cal held her tightly to the bed as Dylan pulled her leg even harder. A loud crunch echoed around the room as it clicked back into place. Lucy sobbed as the pain ran from her leg all the way down to her foot and up her chest. Dylan stalked out of the room to his awaiting cheese sandwich. Cal held a sobbing Lucy in his arms. Connie walked into the room with news of Ethan's progress.

'Dr Knight, your brother is stable at the moment, he had broken several ribs and hurt his head. He will be out of it for a while. We had to intubate because he was struggling to breath and we conducted CPR twice. You may go and sit with him once Lucy has been seen to' she explained before leaving. Robyn entered the cubicle and put another plaster cast on Lucy's leg which Cal helped her do. It was purple to match the other and redid the cast on her leg and her arm which had been damaged in the crash.

They put her in a wheelchair and wheeled her with Cal to see Ethan.


	21. Chapter 21

Ethan was on the bed, his bare chest exposed and covered in cuts and bruises, his shirt had been cut off when they started the first round of CPR. He looked relatively peaceful apart from the tube which was protruding out of his throat. Cal pulled up a chair and sat beside his niece. Lucy had grabbed her dad's hand and was holding it tightly.

Cal put an arm around her and pulled her close. He rested his hand on his brother's wrist. They sat in silence for a while until Lucy spoke. 'Do you think he can hear us?' Lucy asked.

'I don't know sweetie, I think he might be able to' Cal whispered.

'Can I talk to him?' She asked.

'Of course you can, we can both talk to him' he suggested.

'I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that I love you daddy, Uncle Cal and I need you so please wake up soon!' She whispered.

Tears formed in Cal's eyes as he listened to his niece pleading with her father. He hugged her tight, his tears dripping onto her jumper. Lucy took her hoody off and placed it over her dad. 'Here, take this so you feel safe' she whispered.

Lucy buried her head onto the bed besides where Ethan lay, Cal leant next to her cuddling her. They fell asleep and were woken by the sound of a machine beeping.

Lucy woke up and shook Cal to wake him up. 'I think something is wrong with Daddy' she whispered. Cal sat up and looked at the machine. He checked his brother's condition, pulse, breathing and sighed with relief.

'It's alright, its a good thing. It means that he doesn't like the tube in his throat, it means he is going to be okay. We need to take the tube out, otherwise he might get grumpy' Cal explained.

He approached the bed and undid the tape that was holding the tube in place. Ethan grabbed Lucy's hand and squeezed it. His eyes flickered open. He grabbed at the tube in his throat. 'It's alright Nibbles, I'm just going to take it out now' he murmured.

He continued disconnecting the machine. 'Cough for me whilst I take this out' he murmured. Ethan coughed as hard as he could as Cal removed the tube. It felt strange at first breathing without the assistance of a machine. He looked over at Lucy who was smiling at him. He smiled. 'Thank you' he croaked.

Connie came into the room. She was shocked to see Ethan sat upright on the bed with no machine controlling his breathing. 'How are you feeling Doctor Hardy?' She asked.

'Sore, but better' he muttered still somewhat croakily.

'I'm glad to hear that, now I am going to give you some pain relief but in the next 24 hours you should be discharged!' She exclaimed. Ethan nodded gratefully.


	22. Chapter 22

A few days later Ethan found himself still at the hospital, he was waiting for Cal to come and take him home. He had told his brother specifically to come at 10 and it was now nearing 12 with still no sign of his brother. He sighed as he flopped back onto the pillows. Normally he would have called a taxi but he didn't have any clothes because they had all been cut off when he arrived in the ED a couple of days before. He couldn't exactly get in a taxi in just his boxers. He contemplated this as the door opened. Cal hurried in pushing Lucy's wheelchair.

'I know, I know. I'm sorry, we had to stop off and collect something.' Cal muttered defensively as Ethan questioned his tardiness.

Cal handed Ethan a large sports bag. 'You need to hurry and get changed, we have places to be and we're going to be late' Cal exclaimed.

Ethan carefully stumbled into the bathroom to get changed. He hurried out where a wheelchair was waiting for him. Cal led Ethan towards it before helping him sit down. He winced as the pain rippled through his torso. He gripped Cal's arm tightly.

'Alright Nibbles, we'll get you some pain relief before we go' Cal murmured.

He left the room momentarily and returned with a cardboard tray laden with equipment. He rolled up Ethan's top and injected some morphine into his ribs before he could refuse.

Cal pulled a blanket around his brother as Max appeared. Due to the fact that Lucy too was in a wheelchair Cal wouldn't be able to take his brother and Lucy to the car without some assistance in the form of Max. They stepped into the lift in silence. Max fiddled with his phone before smiling knowingly at Cal.

The lift doors opened and they walked out. Ethan was shocked to see no one he recognised in the ED. They wandered outside to where his colleagues were gathered. Jacob stood at the front of the group carrying a small velvet box. Everyone cheered and clapped when they saw the young doctor. Ethan blushed at being the centre of attention.

Jacob stepped forwards and the crowd silenced. Cal lifted Lucy out of her wheelchair and she began to speak.

'Just over 8 months ago I thought I was going to die alone with no one to care for me. And then you came along and changed that. My life before was like a deep canyon but you were the rope that pulled me out of the darkness and into normality. You have saved my life so many times and I will always be grateful. But most importantly you showed me what love is so I wanted to get something to show you how much I love you' She spoke.

Jacob opened the box and held it for her. She took a gold medal from it with the words 'Ethan Hardy – My Hero' engraved on it. She placed it around his neck and kissed his cheek. A round of applause broke out amongst the crowd. Everyone had tears streaming down their faces.

There was a murmur coming from the crowd as she pushed her way to the front. 'I leave you along for only a few months and then this happens' She spoke jokingly.

His face lit up when he saw her. She hadn't changed a bit.


	23. Chapter 23

'Honey!' Ethan breathed.

Lucy reached up to her uncle Cal. 'Is that the lady you told me about, the one Daddy loves?' she asked in a whisper. Cal smiled and nodded.

Lucy leant forward to her father 'Just kiss her already, she's pretty and you know you want to' Lucy told him.

Ethan chuckled 'okay' he murmured as he climbed out of the wheelchair. He stumbled to where Honey was stood. He threaded his arm around her waist resting his hand on the small of her back she threw her arms around his neck He ran his fingers through her hair as he pressed his lips to hers.

They broke apart after a couple of minutes. 'I can't tell you how long I have wanted to do that' Ethan murmured.

Honey smiled. 'I've missed you' she whispered. Ethan began to wobble slightly whilst he stood there. Cal brought the wheelchair forward. Honey helped Ethan sit down in it. Ethan pulled Honey closer so she was sat on his lap. He held her in his arms as Max wheeled him to the Car. Cal followed pushing Lucy in her wheelchair.

'Let's get this little matchmaker home before she makes me go out with Mrs Beauchamp' Cal chuckled.

'Which one's that?' Lucy asked. Cal pointed to the clinical lead.

'You would make a great couple though' She stated with a smile.


	24. Chapter 24

A few years later the family were sat in the garden awaiting Lucy's return from school. Cal had decided to have a little barbeque as a treat. Lucy opened the front door and dropped her bags in a heap by the door. She could smell the food on the barbeque. She ran through the house and straight out into the garden to see her dad.

'Did you have a good day at school?' he asked. Lucy shrugged.

'Can I hold Will please?' She asked. Honey crouched down handing Lucy the bundle she was carrying in her arms.

'Will's been waiting for you to come home, he's missed you' Honey murmured.

Lucy kissed her little brother's head tenderly. 'I've missed him too, thanks Mum' she whispered.

After spending some quality time with her brother and parents she decided to see her uncle.

'I hope you aren't burning the sausages again' she called out as she approached.

'They weren't burnt, they were well done' Cal said defensively.

'Caleb, they were burnt. You couldn't eat them because they were like charcoal' a stern voice shouted.

'When was the last time you cooked Mrs Knight?' He asked snaking an arm around Connie's waist.

'You won't let me cook remember, because I'm pregnant' she muttered.

'Yeah well I don't want the twins to get hurt. Now go, sit down and rest. Lucy and I will finish cooking' Cal instructed.

Connie walked off leaving Cal and Lucy together. 'I love you Uncle Cal' Lucy whispered.

'I love you too Lu' Cal said kissing her forehead.

'Ummm Uncle Cal…' Lucy started.

'Yeah?' He asked.

'You've burnt the sausages again!' she exclaimed.


End file.
